Grantville Gazette II
Grantville Gazette II (Baen, 2000) is the third collaborative anthology published in print set in the 1632 series. It consists of a mish-mash of main novels and anthologies produced under popular demand after publication of the initial novel which was written as a stand-alone work. Synopses "Steps in the Dance" :By Eric Flint Note: This story only appears in the print editions of Grantville Gazette II. Anne Jefferson and Harry Lefferts pose for Rembrandt as part of a complex political situation. "Collateral Damage" :By Mike Spehar Hans Richter's flying instructor is still heartsick over his loss. He volunteers to fly a special mission to Paris that specifically targets the unsuspecting Cardinal Richelieu. "Euterpe, Episode 1" :By Enrico M. Toro Composer Giacomo Carissimi is directed by Cardinal Mazarin to visit Grantville, and finally obtains adequate funds. "The Company Men" :By Christopher James Weber The ambassador from the powerful Mughal Empire of northern India is held captive in Austria, but Grantville does not have enough troops to rescue him. Instead, Mike Stearns hires a mercenary unit run by an Englishman and an Irishman. No dates are given, but references to autumn, the Confederated Principalities of Europe, and "war breaking out with the League of Ostend" suggest that the rescue mission started in September of 1633. "Just One Of Those Days" :By Leonard Hollar A string of mishaps keeps a Finnish cavalryman from action against the Croats attacking Grantville High School, while an up-time German is uniquely positioned to pick off attackers. "God's Gifts" :By Gorg Huff Down-time German Lutheran pastor Steffan Schultheiss in Badenburg is wary of the citizens of Grantville shortly after its appearance due to their modern views on religion; in which he warns his flock against Grantville in order to keep their modern progressing influence from corrupting his congregation. However, Schultheiss's religious warnings were not heeded due to politics and economics both made Grantville attractive to Badenburg. Schultheiss continued to condemn Grantville's practices until his outcries infuriated his wife, who has a positive view on Grantville. Eventually, with guidance from his wife, Schultheiss changed his stance on Grantville and becomes more tolerated on the Americans' ideals, including freedom of religion. "Bottom-Feeders" :By John Zeek This story is a police procedural that follows two policemen Jurgen Neubert and Marvin Tipton through a murder case. Jurgen is a down time farmer turned mercenary soldier turned policeman, and Marvin is a veteran cop. "An Invisible War" :By Danita Ewing Danita Ewing's"An Invisible War" is a short novel and was the first serialized piece of longer fiction that spanned this and the next Gazette in their e-published versions—though the whole (110 pages) was published in the hardcover release of Grantville Gazette II. The tale establishes important canonical background. The story is set mostly in 1633 after Grantville has had time to settle-in a bit and can look beyond immediate survival issues. It deals with public health and efforts to integrate and disseminate medical knowledge during the end of the Confederated Principalities of Europe and early United States of Europe period, as the various Stearns-led administrations have been repeatedly reminded by Dr. James Nichols and Melissa Mailey how vulnerable populations are and were to diseases in the seventeenth century. From the outset, beginning in the novel 1632, the up-timers have been taking steps -- within their capabilities and resources -- to mitigate any preventable health problems. To add urgency, as time goes by, some of the historical research conducted in Grantville's libraries reveals that on the OTL, local plague outbreaks occurred in diverse regions during 1632 and 1634, and that 1635 saw a large epidemic-scale outbreak. Worse, the historical record might also indicate other outbreaks, which were poorly documented. The story is one of Grantville's medical personnel meeting head-on with down-timer University practices, prejudices, and a college curriculum based in large part on the Classics and Theological studies. The town establishes the Leahy Clinic hospital near the Grantville High School and establishes a local nurse training program in 1631–1632, and by the summer of 1633 has reached out to the faculty of the University of Jena, but the only medical personnel who can be spared to head up a college of medicine are women. Fact Essays "A Quick and Dirty Treatise on Historical Fencing" :by Enrico M. Toro "So You Want To Do Telecommunications In 1633?" :by Rick Boatright "Mente Et Malleo : Practical Mineralogy And Minerals Exploration In 1632" :by Laura Runkle "The Secret Book Of Zink" :by Andrew Clark Category:The Grantville Gazettes